The Moonbound Bride

Chapter 14

LYRA

I inched forward in rage, picking up the Primordial Book I had just dropped.

Stepping closer to Blade, I threw the book in his direction, stopping a few inches away from him. My gaze locked onto his, burning with fury. I could see it—fear gnawed at him.

He looked confused, puzzled by the sheer terror on my face. But as I took in the sight of my parents—shackled, bound in chains, unconscious—something inside me snapped.

I wasn’t sure if I could even kill Blade. But God, I wanted to.

"You motherf*cking bastard," I seethed, grabbing his collar and yanking him toward me. "What have you done to them?"

He didn't resist. He just stood there, watching me, my rage reflected in his eyes. The blood beneath my skin boiled, my veins ready to burst from sheer fury.

"Lyra, listen to me." His hands gripped mine, attempting to loosen my hold on his collar.

But I didn’t want to listen.

"Why are they like this?" I growled, my voice barely human.

For the first time, it was Blade who looked truly uneasy. But I wasn’t stopping. I shoved him aside with all the force I had and rushed straight to my parents.

They didn’t move.

They didn’t even flinch.

I reached for them, my hands trembling as I brushed the hair from my mother’s face. My father’s chest barely rose and fell.

"What did you do to them?" I shouted, my voice cracking with anguish.

Blade remained silent, as if he himself was in shock.

"Answer me, Blade!" I demanded, my fingers gripping my father’s cold wrist.

"I—I don’t know either, Lyra!" His voice softened. "Please, try to understand me."

I froze before letting out a bitter laugh.

"Try to understand you?" I lifted my head, my eyes burning into his.

"You think I’ll ever trust you again, you beast?" I hissed.

Blade remained motionless.

"Trust me, Lyra! Please!" His voice was desperate now. "Lucas brought them here. He told me they were in the basement, but I swear, I had no idea they’d be like this!"

I shook my head, my breath shallow.

"Don’t act innocent now," I whispered, my voice shaky as I caressed my mother’s limp hand. "You're truly a monster."

A single tear slipped down my cheek as I knelt beside them, my heart breaking into a million jagged pieces.

"Trust me, Lyra. If that were true, why would I have told you your parents were meeting you today?"

"Because you all want my entire family dead. You want me dead!" I screamed, my voice raw with fury.

"That’s not true!" Blade shouted back, his eyes burning with intensity.

"How much longer are you going to defend yourself?" I demanded, narrowing my gaze at him.

"I'm not—"

Before he could finish, my hands moved on instinct. I snatched the Primordial Book off the ground—Blade hadn’t even realized what I’d thrown at him in my rage. Without hesitation, I hurled it at him again.

The book struck his chest with a solid thud, and he staggered slightly. His hands instinctively closed around it, fingers tightening on the worn cover.

Only then did he look down and finally see what it was.

“r******w,” I ordered. He looked as if he was trying to process what was happening—how the Primordial Book had appeared here.

“What is this book doing here?” he asked, clearly confused.

I scoffed. “Please, stop pretending! I've had enough. Or do you not even need to read what's written inside since you already know?” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

“I didn’t know anything about this book initially either, Lyra! Grandma decides all this. She knows everything. I just follow orders.”

“Follow orders? Then why are you considered the main one?” I asked, stepping toward him.

“Because I am. This theory revolves around me. But Grandma makes all the decisions.” His voice carried guilt.

“Do you care to explain?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Look, Lyra, listen to me carefully. I didn’t know this book even existed until you found it in the library. I was kept in the dark too. And I have no idea what you’re talking about when you say we’re going to kill you.” He genuinely looked clueless.

“There’s a whole damn section about the Blood Moon Ritual—where you and your family would sacrifice me just so your powers could return to you.” I threw it all out.

“What nonsense!” he muttered.

“Read for yourself. I don’t believe for a second that you don’t know about this, you piece of shit.” The anger in my voice remained steady.

“I would never let that happen. I was only told that a small amount of your blood would be offered during the ritual. And that’s it—we’d be divorced, and it would all be over,” he explained further.

“That means you knew about the ritual,” I asked, my heart heavy.

“Of course, I knew about it. But not that we would kill you,” he assured me.

“And you think that will make me trust you?” I asked, stepping closer until we were face to face.

He just looked down, having no answer for that. I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief.

“I had started to believe you, Blade. And even if something terrible was about to happen, I thought it was only me involved in this. But you all dragged my parents into it too?! That’s disgusting. What have they ever done to you?” I wailed, gripping Blade’s collar again before collapsing to the ground, crying loudly.

It was uncontrollable.

After what felt like an eternity of crying and breaking down, Blade didn’t move. He just stood there, watching me shatter, while my parents lay there—unmoving, barely breathing. I could feel the weight of his hesitation, the urge to comfort me lingering in his stance. But he knew better. He knew I would push him away, reject any ounce of sympathy he offered. So instead, he remained still. Helpless.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, my body trembling with anger and exhaustion. Then, lifting my gaze, I spoke, my voice sharp as a blade.

“You know what? I don’t give a f*ck about your ritual. I want my parents conscious. Now.”

Blade exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “I can’t do anything for them.”

“Then take them somewhere where someone can!” I snapped.

A slow, mocking clap echoed from behind me.

“There seems to be a problem, dear sister-in-law.”

I turned sharply, my eyes locking onto Amelia as she strolled toward me with an infuriating smirk.

She clicked her tongue. “Tsk, tsk. Look at you. Your eyes are so red from crying.” She reached out as if to wipe my tears away.

I recoiled instantly.

“What the hell is this, Amelia?” Blade demanded.

She ignored him, keeping her gaze fixed on me. “Well, I can help your parents, Lyra.” She smiled sweetly, but I knew better than to trust it.

Then her lips curled into something sinister. “But only if you agree to sacrifice yourself for us.”

A sharp, bitter laugh escaped her lips.

“Amelia!” Blade roared.

She waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t make my eardrums burst, brother. Relax. This is what she was brought here for—to restore your powers.” She let out another laugh, the sound piercing through the cold air like a blade.

“Then why the hell wasn’t I told?” His voice was dangerously low now, controlled but seething.

“Because we’re not idiots, Blade. You’ve always been too soft, too weak. We knew your heart wouldn’t allow you to hurt her. But it doesn’t matter.” Her smile widened, her voice dripping with cruelty.

“You are one of us. A tiger. And no matter how much you fight it, the beast inside you will awaken soon enough.”

Her laughter echoed through the basement, crawling under my skin like poison.

“That doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, Amelia!” Blade snapped.

“What? Now you’re going to fight with Grandma over this girl?” Amelia scoffed.

“Remember, Blade, we are predators. And she is important to us. With just one sacrifice, we’ll get what we want. Don’t be a spoilsport.” Amelia’s eyes widened.

“Stop it, both of you!” I shouted, tears smudging my kohl kajal as I wiped them away.

“I’m ready to sacrifice myself, Amelia. Just make my parents alright!” I begged—no longer ordering, just pleading, for once.

“Sure, honey, I will. They’re not dead, just unconscious. On the night of the Blood Moon, during the ritual, we will free them, and you can see them one last time.” She said, running her fingers through my hair.

“See? We aren’t that heartless.” She laughed.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

“So this was your plan all along.” Blade confronted her, staring her down.

“It’s for your own goddamn sake!” Amelia gritted her teeth and shoved him back with a sharp, pointed nail.

“Whatever it is, I agree,” I said, and they all fell silent.

My world had already crumbled, and I had no reason not to obey any of them. I needed to be sacrificed.

I walked away, craving some time alone after everything that had happened. As I passed by, I heard Amelia let out a slight chuckle.

Behind me, I heard Blade running to catch up, but I refused to let him. He had lied—he told me everything would be alright. Liar! I would never trust him again. Fueled by rage, I stormed out of the basement and into his cabin, throwing myself onto a chair, ignoring everything. Ignoring Blade.

Moments later, he followed me inside, the Primordial Book in his hands, flipping through its pages as if reading it for the first time.

Lying bastard.

Or… was he really innocent in this? It was too risky for me to believe otherwise. So I just leaned back on the couch, letting exhaustion take over.

I needed rest after all that crying.

I felt like I was dying. My soul was gone.

And I was done.

★★★

VIKTOR

I don’t know why I keep having that dream or where I go every night. But I see Lyra.

What is this form of mine? Why doesn’t it emerge in the morning? Why do I turn into a black, slimy, sloth-like creature—so filthy! And where exactly do I see Lyra? I don’t remember.

She’s Blade’s wife, which means I must be visiting Harlow Mansion every night. But why? And that day… when I tried to reach her, almost scaring her—what’s gotten into me?

Who gave me these powers? I pleaded to the deity. Tell me why I’ve been granted this form. Tell me what I am.

Outside my apartment, the moon shone in its full radiance. But there was something sinister about it—like it was speaking to me.

As I stepped onto the balcony, its light reflected on my skin. Then, as I drew closer, the glow pierced my bare chest, surging through me like lightning. A sharp pain shot through my body, and I collapsed, falling into another dream.

But this time, I didn’t travel to Lyra.

This time, I was in my human form.

“Sunñir, the beast hunter!”

The moon’s voice echoed across an open field where I stood, naked, before a lone mirror.

“You were cursed in your past life for disobeying my orders and slaying uncountable beasts by your own will.”

“Cursed?” I repeated, my voice hollow.

“That is why you bear this form, Sunñir. That is what you are called. You became a beast hunter, slaughtering thousands, killing the innocent. But your bond with Blade, the Tiger King, was forbidden. And yet, you did not kill him—but you murdered countless others. That is the curse upon you. You were biased.

"And then… you fell in love with your best friend’s mate—Lyra—without her knowing. A forbidden crime.

And so, the curse!”

The moon trembled as its words echoed through the void.

My past life flashed before my eyes in a split second—I remembered everything.

Lyra, Blade, and I were friends in that life. And I loved Lyra.

I knew it the moment I saw her. She intrigued me, drew me toward her with an undeniable force. I was helpless against it. And now, perhaps, my hatred toward Blade made sense. That wimp stole her from me.

“And so, you must separate them. Otherwise, doom upon the world is inevitable. All of you will perish.” The moon’s voice boomed.

“I understand now, Moon Lord. I will do my task and not disappoint you. Lyra is mine. Only mine!”

My eyes glowed red as newfound power surged through me, a gift from the moon itself.

“You can have her. She will be yours—only yours—if you succeed in separating them.” It whispered, coaxing me forward.

I didn’t question what it would gain from driving Lyra and Blade apart. I didn’t care. I only needed Lyra. She was my love, and I would succeed in claiming her in this lifetime.

I bowed my head and swore my allegiance. “Understood, Moon Lord. I will do it.”

But then, the moon trembled above me, a low chuckle rippling through the sky.

“I am no Moon Lord,” it rumbled. “I am the Great Gibbous, the creator of you all. You are my puppets. And should you fail to redeem yourselves for your past-life sins, you will face my wrath. I am a watcher. I am a destroyer.

“I am your father.”

And then it vanished.

I jolted awake. Morning light spilled into my room.

A new power surged through my veins. Now that I understood everything, my mission was clear.

I would become the force that tore Lyra and Blade apart.

I’m coming for you both.

I rose with the sun, my power igniting.